The Drums of War
by NumiestWaffle
Summary: Hou Yi prepares for yet another battle with the other gods, but is startled by the rumors that the wife he had taken away from him for so long is on the other team.


The gates of Olympus remained closed as the gods prepared. There was a child-like laughter that filled the air, but Hoy Yi just chocked them up to his team mate, Scylla. She loved to laugh like a maniac before a battle. It was a little concerning at first, but at some point he got used to it. It made him smile now, as it was a sign that she was ready to win.

He browsed the shops along with his other teammates. Athena was talking with Sun Wukong about battle strategies, just in case the enemy decided to go for the Fire Giant before they were ready. Both of them were willing to sacrifice themselves just to get it, but Sun Wukong took some convincing. After a little bit of her yelling at him, he gave in and agreed with a hand shake. Though when she walked away, he did stick his tongue out towards the unknowing Goddess of Wisdom. Hou Yi had to look away so Athena couldn't see him trying to hold in his laughter. The last thing he needed was his lane mate angry at him.

That had happened before, and it was with the Frost Giant. Not an enjoyable experience when the one person that was supposed to help you kept trying to freeze you and putting a wall between the one you were fighting. Hoy Yi vowed never to laugh at another support again. Though having the Monkey King on his team might make such a task a little hard. He was thankful they weren't lanning with each other, they'd get nothing done.

" Are you ready? " Came Athena's familiar voice, as she placed her hand on his head to muss his hair. He always hated that about her, she acted as though she was far older than anybody else. She _was_ wiser, but not older.

Hou Yi nodded, putting on the gloves he needed to help him with his lane. " We've laned with each other enough to know that I'm always ready- "

Scylla's voice cut him off before he could get anymore words out. Both turned towards the little child, almost surprised she was listening to them at all.  
" Good, I always like it when my team is ready to kill. And Athena, please try not to taunt them away from my dogs again. They wanna eat you when you do that, and we can't have that, now can we? "

Athena became notably nervous at the prospect of being eaten, but she nodded, agreeing that she'll try to bring them _to_ Scylla, rather than _away_. That made the little Gorgon happy. She clapped her hands before turning to look at the gates like all the others on his team.

There were plenty of familiar people on his team, surprisingly. Three Chinese, two Greeks. He was actually quite grateful that the Monkey King was there, and even the Lotus Prince. That was a rare sight, Ne Zha rarely ever made it. Perhaps the gods are realizing he's actually good, and not as bad as some make him out to be.

The rumbling of the gates opening brought smiles to some, and frowns to other. Athena became concentrated, but turned annoyed once Ne Zha and Wukong laughed loudly as they rushed towards the jungle.

Hou Yi followed behind Athena, who was taking her sweet time getting to Scylla's much needed buff. The Gorgon was growing impatient as well, though she didn't complain much. It took awhile for the cyclops' to show before the game began.

The clock in the sky got to ten, and the three of them prepared to face the Cyclops. Hou Yi readied his bow, Athena her lance, and Scylla her. . . Magic thingy. He wasn't sure what mages used. Well, there were some that had weapons, like Aphrodite. But Scylla's skill seemed to come from her hands. For sure, he thought he should've been his dogs, but he wasn't one to dictate how she should and shouldn't use her magic. It wasn't like he was a mage after all.

They parted with Scylla, Athena barely waving but Hou Yi did wish her good luck. She only gave him a smirk, as if trying to say she'll win with no luck or all the luck. As long as she wasn't hurt in the beginning then she should be fine. But she was known for barely playing safe.

Athena was silent most of the time while they got him what he needed. He knew she was thinking of battle strategies, for if they were in lane or if they weren't. Honestly, he was grateful he had the Goddess of Wisdom as his teammate, and not the God of War. In truth, Athena's brother actually scared him a little. He seemed decent, especially if there was an Aphrodite he could talk with. But for the most part, he was certainly frightening. He could see why he was called the God of War.

They entered the lane, and Athena narrowed her brows at the absence of their enemies. She allowed Hou Yi to get the little humans further down the lane, but seemed to be on edge. As if she knew who the enemies were. There was a cackling that came from the jungle, and he finally understood why Athena was on edge.

Medusa's glowing eyes from her mask were the first things he saw before she fully stepped into the lane. Athena forced him to back off, stepping in front of him with her shield raised. The Gorgon seemed to be distracted with the humans to even notice that her mortal enemy was in her lane. Shortly after Medusa came Sobek, the Egyptian God of the Nile, followed suit. Hou Yi wanted to laugh, but figured that would make Athena jump.

But that seemed to prove useless as the first blood image flashed across the sky. All heads turned towards the clouds, and his team seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Sun Wukong had taken out Ao Kuang first. That had to have burned the poor Dragon King. He was already mocked by Wukong in the past, that was surely salt in his already opened wound.

Athena became more aggressive at that, like she wanted to prove to Wukong that her lane could win as well. If the Gorgon was ever angry at Athena, she had no time to brood. Constantly, the Goddess of Wisdom was throwing out taunts, trying to get them near Hou Yi, who was not quite ready for it.

Not once did she get mad at him, though. He was thankful for that. It seemed her and Geb were always the nicest gods to their less than capable hunters. They knew to be patient while the others tried to become something that brought pain.

Hou Yi was taken out of his thoughts as he was hit with Medusa's poison spray. It hurt, more than it probably should. She must've specialized that specifically, how annoying. There was no way he could get away from it, unless she missed severely. But he fought back himself, and threw out his mark, stealing her already little protections. She backed off slightly, expecting to be hurt, but she still looked at him like a wild animal.

Second blood went to Ne Zha. The faces flashed in the sky and- Wait. He knew that face. Not the child god, but the one he killed. It looked just like his wife, the one that had to drink their potions to protect herself. But that couldn't be, nobody said she was here. Athena never said she was here, and she seemed to know everything about the battles. But when he looked at her, she looked just as surprised as he did.

He wanted to ask about who that was, just to make sure that wasn't the wife he lost, but it seemed Medusa and Sobek had other plans. Before the words could even leave his mouth, they advanced on Athena. She was blinded by Medusa's poison, before being throw by Sobek. She slid across the ground, barely being able to keep her footing.

Hou Yi threw out his mark again, but was aware it wouldn't do much to save her. His arrow bounced off the wall, effectively stunning Medusa, but Sobek throw the poor Goddess of Wisdom up in the air, and she was once more launched. Hou Yi had to think fast, they were going on her as though she was prey. He couldn't allow such a thing, he'd not let them take away his friend, the one that was supposed to keep him and the others alive.

She rushed towards him, notably bleeding and quite angry. Athena was speaking be he couldn't tell what she was trying to say to him. Her loud voice took the ringing in his ears away, and it cracked like thunder. " Call the suns! "

He did as she ordered, launching his arrows in the air and bringing forth the damage of the suns he shot down long ago. They were going to get away, he knew. There was no way they'd stay where the sky was falling. But a single red sash kept Medusa where she was, and Ne Zha came flying out of the jungle. Just that help was enough for Medusa to fall to the last sun.

Sobek tried to escape as well, but was unable to when Ne Zha took him up in the air. There was a dog head that appeared next to Hou Yi as he watched the God of the Nile take all that Ne Zha dished out to him. He barely even noticed Scylla coming over until she brought all her dogs out.

The crocodile barely had time to run away, before Scylla was able to finish was Ne Zha started. Athena sighed happily before starting to be teleported back to the base. He couldn't blame her, she was wounded and she needed to return to heal. The little Gorgon clapped her hands together once more, overjoyed that she managed to kill so early.

The action managed to take Hoy Yi's mind off what he'd seen before, but Ne Zha standing in front of him concerned made him remember. He placed his hands on the Prince's shoulder, bending down to his height. " Was it her? Please tell me it wasn't her. "

Ne Zha looked down, avoiding the piercing stare Hou Yi was giving him. But that was the answer he needed. He had the chance to meet his wife finally, after so long, but she wasn't with him, she could never be with him. Why did she have to choose to fight with the enemy, when he was right there, waiting for her. What did she think when his face flashed in the sky as he killed her team mate. She had to be angry at him. Why wouldn't she be, he was taking down her team.

The prince turned away from him, disappearing in the jungle along with Scylla who didn't quite understand what was going on. Hou Yi watched, unable to say or do anything. His wife would hate him after this, and he could understand why.

Athena's sudden appearance and hand on his shoulder brought him back to the game, but he was less than excited to be there now that he knew what he faced. There were many things that appeared in the sky after the duo's first gank. Athena came and went, helping with buffs and helping Hou Yi get Medusa. But every time he even hurt the Gorgon, he worried that his wife, Chang'e, was there disapproving. He saw her behind the snake woman, looking at him with so much poison and hate in her eyes. All he wanted to do was embrace her, but even that might seem odd.

Something flashed in the sky, and it caused a twinge of pain in Hou Yi's chest. Sun Wukong has successfully taken his tower. That meant that he was free to enter any lane he pleased. Not that he couldn't have done that before, but he mostly preferred to be alone. But that also meant Chang'e was free to leave if she so wished it as well. The thought of meeting her made him hurt more than it should've.

How could he even play anymore knowing that she was out there, wandering. Would Scylla get to her and kill her, or would Sun Wukong continue to harass and bully her until she succumbed to death. Ne Zha seemed to be leaving her alone for the most part, choosing to fight instead with the Dragon King. Sometimes he won, and sometimes he lost. But for the most part, he just wanted to mock the older god.

That's what Athena complained about anyway. She said she felt the need to put a child-leash on the Prince, though he'd probably manage to break that with how he practically jumped with joy at the sight of the King. His little conversation with Athena made him cheer up just a bit, but his mind always wandered back to Chang'e. Where was she, it had been so long since there was an announcement.

Sun Wukong's triple kill was announced through the sky, and Athena was quick to call for the Gold Fury. It was agreed to by everybody, including Hou Yi. The three that died weren't Chang'e, but the call was important enough for all those alive to be there. Ne Zha was still down from once more trying to fight the Dragon King, and Scylla was on her way. It would currently only be Hou Yi, Athena, and Wukong.

As the harpy was pulled, there was a ding that rang out across the air. Sun Wukong split just in time for Scylla to show up. He managed to keep one away, but warned that another was missing. His warning came just in time for Hou Yi to experience a sharp pain through the middle of his body. Scylla must've felt it too, since she cried out in pain. He couldn't move, it was like something was preventing him from moving.

The move was able to pull Athena closer to her death. Hou Yi watched hopelessly as one final move from the enemy forced her to fall backwards onto her soldiers. She was lifted towards the sky, as Hou Yi cried out her name. Scylla had other plans, and called for Wukong to return to them. Finally, the pain subsided and Hou Yi acted quickly.

He sent his mark flying and charged up his shot but was interrupt at the sight of her. She was broken, bleeding, and her clothes were torn from all the fighting she had been doing. She was in pain, near death maybe, but still she fought. That was the wife he knew.

Chang'e stopped her attacks as well, her eyes going wide when she saw just who she was actually fighting. She recognized him, just as he recognized her. But there was more pain in her eyes. He wondered if that was from seeing him or the abuse she faced constantly.

It seemed time slowed down when he found her. He was filled with joy, but also fear. He knew he would have to fight her, but he hoped it wouldn't be so soon. She looked at him with fear, and he hated the fact that he was the one that probably caused that.

Time began to speed up just in time for him to notice Wukong coming in for the final hit. The one that would take her away from him. He couldn't have that happen, but what could he do? It wasn't like he actually took damage from his own team, and besides that, Wukong's cudgel changed sizes. It would hit both Hou Yi and Chang'e, hurting one and killing the other. Jumping in front of her would be meaningful, sure, but it'd be even more useless.

" Wukong, don't! " He screamed, throwing his bow down and running towards the two. He watched in horror as the monkey king brought the cudgel down without even trying to stop.

Hou Yi fell to his knees, his wife falling on the ground with a thud. Where was the rabbit, she was supposed to have a rabbit. That was what he heard anyway, but her rabbit was no where to be seen. She wasn't going to be mourned by anybody. His team seemed more concerned with taking the Gold Fury than the fact that they just killed the wife he finally met once more.

He managed to crawl next to her body, placing his hand on her own. It was still as small as he remembered it, when they first got married. She was even still wearing the ring he gave her. He thought for sure she would've removed it when she was sent to the moon. It just looked like she was sleeping. That would've been comforting if he didn't watch her die.

" Chang'e. . . " He spoke, squeezing her lifeless hands. That face. . . He never thought he'd see that face again, but he was looking at it now. It wasn't supposed to be this way, she was supposed to be alive. He wanted to cry, wanted to lash out at Wukong, but he did neither. He didn't want to look away from his wife. And tears would just blur his vision.

He barely had time to do anything before the call was announced. The enemy team decided to give up. They were too far behind in some field, but he didn't pay attention to what that field was. His wife was in front of him, that was all that seemed to matter to him.


End file.
